2017 was a great year for Team De Boa! We had a great competition team, hitting most local and a few out of state tournaments. Our kid’s team finished #1 in the state!! Lot’s of promotions, new teammates, fun events and our volunteer group “De Boa Discovery” spread the good vibes to the community as well.We expanded the academy this year to double the space and have filled it up quickly! It’s been exciting to see all of the new faces and growth of the school! We are very blessed with an amazing coaching staff, all with their own purpose, talents, skills and qualities’ making De Boa’s coaching staff a great blend of awesome people! We truly value you all and appreciate ALL you do!Throughout this past year, not only have we gained many new students we have also gained many new friends. The quality of people in this school amazes me everyday! Before we opened the school, we have this vision of what we wanted De Boa to be and because of our jiu jitsu family; it has greatly exceeded all of our expectations!2018 brings lots of new excitement, with several big tournaments in the plans, new belts and new jiu jitsu family members!Thank you Team De Boa for your contributions to our dream!

Idon't know if it's just me or if everyone feels this way but, when I did my 1st tournament after receiving my blue belt, I felt this extra pressure, a feeling of:"am I out of my league?""will my skills look like blue belt level?""should I be competing yet?"I trust the judgement of my instructors and I feel like if they think this is where I should be, then I AM good enough to be here but, still the pressure was on for this to show under the anxiety of a competition.Well....I survived and I actually won this tournament.A few days ago, a father of a little girl I teach came to me and said his daughter was having a melt down after receiving her grey belt, she is planning on competing next month and is worried she isn't good enough to compete at that level and that her instructors and I would be disappointed in her.I didn't realize until then, that kids feel this same pressure. I think some of them feel it and don't even realize what it is. My son, who was 7 when he competed the 1st time, would get in a bad mood the day of competition but, didn't seem to know why. Another little girl from my gym would cry through the entire match. I assume this was their way of displaying that same feeling I feel.I was surprised to hear that this little girl, who just received her grey belt, knew exactly what she was feeling. I plan on talking with her this weekend and telling her of my experience when I 1st received my blue belt, my advice is "Trust your instructors judgement! They feel you deserve to be at this level. You may go out there and get beat or you may not. Either way, you got out there! Something many people never do. Putting yourself out there is the toughest part, your instructors and peers will be proud of you just for that! Do your best, have fun and LEARN!"I know first hand the fears of competing but, I also know the incredible feeling when it's over and you HAVE done your best! (and for me it also means I can eat) ;)Win or lose its a huge accomplishment and I have no regrets of any tournament I have done.

Some sure signs that you may be in a midlife crisis is if you are feeling trapped and very tempted to act out in ways that will blow up your life. You feel more desire for excitement and thrills.You feel that your time for taking a new direction is running short. You're Drinking more.Feeling that your life no longer fits you.You're more concerned about your appearance. Once you have hit your 30's, it's pretty unlikely that you will become a "Rock Star", the quarterback for a pro football team or an Olympic gymnast But,....it's not too late to: Get in shape.Find your meaning. Do you.Stop drinking.Get healthy. Hang out with cool people (your age and not in a bar)Feel excitement.Become a Champion!!

How many look forward to January 1st? Time to make those important changes in your life? I am going to lose 10 pounds! I'm going to get in better shape! I'm going to eat clean and cut out junk food! I'm going to stop drinking/smoking! I'm going to improve my social life! I'm going to be happier!

These are all great goals to start the year. The problem is come January 15th you haven't lost even two pounds, the shape is still round, you are tired of chicken and broccoli and dying for an Oreo. The frustrations build which leads to poor weekend decisions that leads to a night at the bar followed by a weekend of being unproductive and lazy. It is a viscous cycle I have witnessed many times.

2017 is going to be different! Instead of thinking up a list of resolutions we suggest investing in a tool that improves all areas of your life. Come get your start in Jiu Jitsu; lose weight, get in shape, eat clean, stop partying, and improve your social life! These are all just results of Jiu Jitsu.

We are offering a FREE 5 pack of classes for Christmas! If you haven't purchased your presents yet avoid the malls and outlet stores, De Boa is your final stop! These are great presents for your family and friends and the best choice you will make next year for yourself. And THEY"RE FREE!!

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

A De Boa YearWhat a great year for Team De Boa! We had a great competition team, hitting most local and a few out of state tournaments. Our kid’s team finished #1 in the state!! Lot’s of promotions, new teammates, fun events and we’ve added a volunteer group “De Boa Discovery” spreading the good vibes to the community as well.We did lose Coach Keli this past month to deployment, Keli has been a great part of our program and we miss him already (thankfully, he left his wife and kids to us) We are very blessed with an amazing coaching staff, all with their own purpose, talents, skills and qualities’ making De Boa’s coaching staff a great blend of awesome people! We truly value you all and appreciate ALL you do!Throughout this past year, not only have we gained many new students we have also gained many new friends. The quality of people in this school amazes me everyday! Before we opened the school, we have this vision of what we wanted De Boa to be and because of our jiu jitsu family; it has greatly exceeded all of our expectations!2017 brings lots of new excitement, with our expansion (in the works for summer 2017) several big tournaments in the plans, new belts and new jiu jitsu family members!Thank you Team De Boa for your contributions to our dream!

Great write up about De Boa/One Jiu Jitsu from AZ State Jiu Jitsu Federation!Awesome job Team!De Boa had several stand out performances both adult and kids divisions. The little ladies killed it with Malia, Vera & Morgan all taking 1st place. For the Adults...Destiny, Jerry, Big John, Chris P., Annie and Professor Andrew DOUBLE Gold! We brought home 11 Gold medals as a school and over 20 with our affiliate school. Not a bad weekend!

﻿This past Saturday, our kid’s team competed at the 2016 Kids Cup Jiu Jitsu Tournament. 17 kids from De Boa stepped up to test their skills on the tournament scene! All of the kids did amazing, their hard work really showed.We are so proud of these kids, not because they performed well but, because of the way they carried themselves and behaved. We witnessed several displays of great sportsmanship! We saw teammates encouraging each other, cheering each other on, high 5’s and shaking their opponents and their opponents coach’s hand (win or lose) and we saw tears being held back until off the mats.In class last Friday, we had a “mat chat” about what we expected from the kids: “do your best, be a good sport and most importantly…HAVE FUN!!” (oh, I almost forgot… don’t poke anyone in the eye;) ) We couldn’t be more proud of them!FYI….The kids brought home 6 Gold medals, 4 Silver & 6 Bronze, they also took GOLD overall as a team for One Jiu Jitsu!

Copa Bella 2016, followed the Kids Cup that same day. 4 De Boa Ladies competed; they showed up ready to perform! Delfina lost her 1st match but, looked awesome, she started playing her game a little too late into her match and came up short. Annie dominated her 1st match but, lost in the final landing her a Silver Medal, Easter looked great as-well losing in the final by just an advantage, also taking Silver. Our 1st timer, Kaila, killed it!! Winning her 1st match by submission after scoring 23 points and her final match 21-0 giving her the GOLD! Amazing job ladies! Way to represent!.

De Boa Jiu Jitsu had a great showing at the Grand Canyon State Open this past weekend! We had plenty of memorable performances and had a big group there to show support.

Saturday morning our kids kicked off the day with a great showing. Here are just a few of the stand out moments:-Charles went out and dominated his first match, up 20-0 before finishing a submission. Fun to watch the kid blossom.-Tanner looked great in a very tough division, winning his first match in very impressive style. Tanner is a sponge, you can see him working everything the coaches have of shown him.- Deshawn captured double gold, both GI and No-Gi in his first tournament as a grey belt.-Carson looked smooth in his GI Division earning himself another gold medal.-Jeremy won his very first Jiu Jitsu tournament after only a couple of months of training.-Morgan gave an experienced grappler all that she can handle. I know that the next tournament for Morgan she is going to find lots of success.-Payton looked awesome on her way to a bronze medal!

Saturday afternoon the adult blue belts took over the mat. Sometimes you win, sometimes to you learn, I know this group of blue belts are going to be hungry to fix mistakes and take on the AZ State Championships in June.

Sunday morning started with a bang! Our Purple Belts, Keli, Chris, and Andy all took home gold medals showing the way to the white belts hanging in the bullpen.

We had three stand out White Belt Performances; Blake took gold in a tough 13 man division. Both Bruce and Phil entered their first tournaments, it was really exciting watching them both get their hands raised for the first time.

Everyone has a place in Jiu Jitsu class.....The Higher belt: Teaches you, helps you, inspires you, pushes you and makes you realize you need to train more.The Lower belt: YOU teach the, help them, inspire them,push them and learn by showing them the details.No matter how much mat time you have, how well your brain retains techniques, how naturally athletic you are, there is ALWAYS someone who can help you to be better (and that isn't always someone who is better then you-or bigger or stronger)It's great to have a training partner equal to your size and skill level but, for some of us that isn't always an option.I train with adult men weighing over 200 lbs to kids weighing under 80 lbs, some who are new, some who have been training many years.I try to get something from every roll, if its the big guy, I try to work on my defense, speed and trying to move ME instead of trying to move them. If it's the little guy (or girl) I try to work on my technique, maybe try some new things.Sometimes I feel as if I am taking someones "quality training time" but, the truth is, they could be using their time with me to focus more on technique and skill and try to keep in mind that I'mtraining for competition too! ~ Leslie (your little training partner)